Forged in the Light
by ThatOnePsycho
Summary: Enraged gods, the sudden reappearance of someone Ruby was sure had died centuries ago, Osiris skulking about, AND Zavala was angry at her. Just another day in her life.
1. Chapter 1

Ruby smiled slightly, looking around the Hunter Conclave. It was a place to find smugglers, scoundrels, ne'er do wells. It was home.

Dominating two entire floors of the Tower, it was built like a giant bar. Almost anything that you could want was buyable if you knew who to ask, even things that were blatantly illegal by the Last City's laws. Not that anyone would say anything about it. Nobody wanted to be the one who ostracized a third of the Guardians.

It was the sort of place that, many centuries and a world ago, Ruby would have never been caught in. Now, she could hardly think of a place she would rather be.

Ruby was one of the last Guardians who _remembered_ , back when there was no City, no place to kick off your muddy boots, hang up your cloak, and sleep in a warm bed. Back when there were no Guardians, only the Risen, and you either sold your gun to whatever petty warlord with delusions that they would rebuild the world happened to be giving the best place to rest, or wandered looking for people to help like Ruby did. Back when you did what you had to do to survive to see the end of the day. When the only law everyone respected, no matter where you went, was the Law of the Jungle. When you fought and killed over supplies. When Guns forged in Light were a rarity, not a fixture, and each one had a legend beyond compare. Now, it was possible to make mimicries of those weapons. Ruby had seen many of the originals, personally forged some, the copies didn't compare.

Where was the solar flames of Last Word? The silent void in the wake of First Curse?

She had forged the twin guns, one for herself and one for Jaren. It had been in the early days of the city, when Guardians had only just started.

She had poured her Light into every step, that's part of what made them so much better. The old ways. Now, Light was added after, and only to a few parts. The individual guns were weaker, but easier to make. Only her, Banshee, and Saladin still practiced the old ways.

Hunters, and, more rarely, Titans and Warlocks would occasionally come to her. Giving her Glimmer, or other goods so she would make a weapon for them.

She would, but the weapon would never be as good as the twins. She had poured every ounce of Light into those guns, left herself incapable of calling on the Void or Solar energies for months. One of those had been more devastating than the other.

When she had forged the twins, she had made them with the lessons instilled by Qrow and Signal. A weapon should reflect the user.

Ruby had put everything she knew about her wayward apprentice into Last Word. No magnetic holster, it was easier to get it out with an old leather, single action with a hammer made to withstand the damage that would come with fan firing. Practical, but with golden embellishments, he had only been a Guardian for a couple of years when she found him. Fire, because he loved to be the center of attention.

First Curse was forged for her, seven hundred years of dying had made her wary, drowning in your own blood wasn't any more fun the eight hundredth time than it was the first, and the gun worked with that, silent, subtle, perfect for when she had to get close up but not into melee range.

That didn't mean she was a coward, to use the Void was naturally difficult for Hunters, you had to stare into the abyss, understand the scope of the space between worlds and how minuscule you were compared to it, then you had to force it to serve you. For the self-serving men and women who normally became Hunters, it was the anathema to their existence, to Ruby, it came naturally.

Ten years of teaching Jaren and another four teaching Shin had revitalized her, death wasn't an afterthought anymore. No longer did she spend years wandering the world, only rarely returning the loft she owned in the city. A perk of being one of the first ones there four centuries ago. She had taken more responsibility relatively recently.

"Stuck in your own head again, Guardian?"

"I guess it's about time I started to act my age."

"If you were acting your age, you would be a pile of dust in the wind. You're welcome."

"I'm supposed to thank you for that?"

"Heh. Point. What were you thinking about?"

"The old days. There's so few Golden Age Guardians left."

"You, Takeo, Holborn, Lyssa, and maybe Osiris. We really are a rare breed aren't we?"

"There's also Rezyl."

...

"You didn't come here to reflect did you?"

"Point."

The First Curse rolled in her hand, before she fired all eight rounds into the air.

"Listen up! We have a problem!"

"Yeah, you just pissed off the guys above us!"

"Shut your mouth, Cayde!"

"I would if I had one!"

"Anyone here opposed to him becoming Cayde-7?

"Pretty sure Amanda would be angry if you damaged her sex bot!"

"Who said that!?"

Firing the gun again, Ruby drew attention to herself.

"Right. So, technically, Zavala wants this kept top secret, but I really don't care.

Everyone here knows Crota right? Big, ugly, responsible for hundreds of dead Guardians? Killed by a team working with that nutter Eris? Well, he has a dad. And he is angry at us. Normally this would just be another day, but he got here three days ago.

The first thing he did was use the giant gun on his dreadnought to ruin the Reef's day, then he took Phobos. _Now_ he's attacking Earth. We have approximately a month before he hits the City.

Now, Zavala wants to cower down behind the wall, Ikora wants to research the thing. Which means once again it comes down to the Hunters, and a few Titans and Warlocks under Shaxx, Pyrrha, and Eris, to get things done. So here's what we're going to do.

A team is going to use stealth tech to slip into the dreadnought, disable the main gun, and set up a transmat zone. From there, we're doing hit and run, both on and off the damn thing. Both the FWC and New Monarchy are kind enough to loan us their ships. Häkke and Suros are giving us some weapons."

"What about Dead Orbit and Omolon?"

"Dead Orbit don't want to risk their fleet. I can understand that, there is a very real chance that they'll be our last hope you guys fail."

"You guys? You're not going?"

"I would if I could, but it would look really suspicious if the Hunter Vanguard just up and disappeared, so I'll be busy keeping Zavala from realizing what we're doing. As for Omolon? I'd sooner throw their entire foundry at the thing than trust their weapons to not blow up on us."

"Tex Mechanica?"

"What about them?"

Ruby didn't bother keeping the disdain out of her voice. She still wanted to find out how the thieves got their hands on her design. The First Curse and Last Word weren't supposed to be mass produced.

"Cayde, I need you to find Tevis. We'll need to reform the Nightstalkers."

Ruby saw the Hunters shift at the mention of her disbanded group. Nobody was going to volunteer to join them.

"Ok."

"What about pay?" Ruby rolled her eyes at the question yelled from the back.

"You'll be paid in living to see another year, sound good to you?"

Ruby's eyes swept across the gathered Hunters, making eye contact with each of them.

"Do you know the Law of the Jungle?"

"I do," The voice came from the balcony, a Hunter, raised young.

"What is the Law of the Jungle?"

"The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is his pack."

"Exactly. You ask what your pay is for doing this? Your pay is survival. If the City falls, we all fall. I don't want to hear about any disputes between you and the Warlocks while we work on this. Today we aren't Hunters, they aren't Warlocks, or Titans. Today, we are Guardians. Once, I stood on the steps of this city as Rezyl Azzir placed the first brick. Once, I fired over over the head of the Iron Lords as the Fallen lay siege to the walls. Once, I ran through the streets of a Golden Age city as two gods fought above me, and learned to embrace the Void."

Ruby's ears picked up one of Cayde's new students whispering, the white cloak pulled over her head, "What's she talking about?"

"You don't know? She's one of the original twenty. They were _there_. When the Darkness and Traveler fought during the Collapse, they saw what happened. You see that gun on her back? Crescent Rose? It's Golden Age tech, has a ammo replicator build right into it, and can take down a Fallen Ketch in a single shot if you give her long enough to get a bead on the fuel tank."

"Why don't we have those?" the other recruit whispered, apparently a Titan without an order, and Ruby saw him eye her baby. She would have to talk to Cayde about who he brought in here.

"The tech for them is rare nowadays, we're lucky with the progress Cassoid is making as is. People have tried to steal it to replicate the tech, but Ruby acts like doing so is the equivalent of going for her Ghost."

"Today," Ruby cut him off, "Night falls, and Darkness closes in on the City once again. They will throw themselves against our Wall, the will seek to drown us in tides of Darkness. But they forget one thing, we are Guardians, we are Light," Ruby moved her hands, fists clenched, raising her voice minutely, "They are the Night; but we are the Dawn at the end of it! The Traveler forced back the Darkness at the cost of their life, and we _will_ force Oryx back no matter the cost! We will send his "Taken" scampering back to his Dreadnought, we will break open his ship and hunt him down until he has nowhere to run, and then? Then we kill him."

Ruby clapped her hands together, breaking the silence that had come over the room.

"Now, we're going to have to break a few laws to do this," Ruby let the grin split her face, "Let's get to smuggling shall we?"

-X LINE BREAK X-

"Alright, I'm certain. She changed the lock."

Pyrrha smiled, shaking her head, "It's one of the oldest keys we have, try those, Jaune."

"Pyrrha," The Ghost said, slightly haughty, so unlike his namesake, "I'm a being made in the by a dying god in its last moment, I think I can tell when- nevermind, you were right."

The door slid to the side, allowing Pyrrha access to the apartment.

The first thing she noticed was that it had been redecorated since the last time that she visited.

The three walls not replaced by glass were a deep red instead of the off white they had been before, and the couches and chairs had been replaced with new ones of similar color. Positioned against the wall was a single bookcase, filled to the brim.

Walking over to it, Pyrrha ran her ungloved hand along the shelf.

"Real wood," Pyrrha mumbled in appreciation. Glimmer was always slightly off, not enough for a regular human to pick up but glaring for the superhuman senses of the Guardians.

Jaune floated over her shoulder, a hum in disapproval coming from the Ghost, "She always did waste supplies."

"Ruby has her vices," Pyrrha admitted softly, "but they're relatively small."

"She doesn't need books, she can read any of these on a Datapad."

"She doesn't want to read them on a Datapad though, she enjoys feeling the paper turn under her hand."

Pyrrha stroked the book spines, reading the titles. _The Iliad, Brothers Grimm, Don Quixote, Wuthering Heights, The Second Jungle Book, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Dracula, Reaper Man._ Finally, Pyrrha stopped, pulling out a book called _The Metamorphosis_ and cracked it open.

 _As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed-_

"I wouldn't read that, it's really not your taste. Kafka was _weird_."

Pyrrha dropped the book, her modified M1 Garand appearing in a flash of Light as she spun, aiming it at the person standing behind her.

Ruby stood across from her, apparently uncaring about the gun aimed at her skull. A mug of something warm in hand.

"Coco?"

"Ruby," Pyrrha sighed, lowering the gun and letting Jaune to return it to its Engram state, the small gold gem hanging from the charm bracelet she kept all her gear on, "You scared me!"

"This _is_ my home."

"It's," Pyrrha checked the clock, "Two in the afternoon, shouldn't you be working?"

"Ikora is trying to make sense of Toland's journal. I wish her luck on that one."

"You don't think she'll figure it out?"

"Osiris never was able to, neither was Takeo. Ikora's smart, but she doesn't hold a candle to either of them."

"You knew Toland, didn't you?"

"I knew him as well as I knew any of the other Twenty. Poor guy got the worst of it when we watched the fight, he learned things about the Darkness."

"What about Zavala?"

"He's talking with Holborn, that's how I knew you were home. You said you weren't getting home for another month, by the way."

"I lied, I wanted to surprise you. I guess you beat me on that one."

"Never try to surprise as Hunter, Pyrrha, especially not a Hunter Vanguard. It won't end well. Now, coco? Or do you want me to cook you something?"

Pyrrha felt her mouth water slightly, "Oh please."

Ruby laughed, throwing her cloak on a hook near the door and grabbing an apron, her armor is disappearing in a simple flash of Light.

Ruby was by far the better of the two friends at cooking, though she wasn't half as good at it than Ren had been, having dedicated most of her time to gunsmithing and traveling.

"Can I still have that drink?"

Ruby laughed again, pushing the mug across the counter between them and Pyrrha snagged it. Drinking deeply from it, Pyrrha groaned aloud at the taste of chocolate.

"Do that a bit louder, Pyr, maybe the people below us will hear it."

"Let them, I haven't had anything to drink except coffee thick enough to choke someone in three years."

"I keep telling Zavala that we need to to make the rations better, he never does listen to me."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Ruby dropped her voice, "'Ruby, we have bigger things to worry about! The Fallen are trying to gain power and I need to find some way to make the Guardians hunt them!' But Zavala, don't you think that people would be more willing to work for us if we actually gave them actual food instead of high nutrient paste that tastes like death? 'No, that's absurd! We'll just bribe them with rewards!'"

Pyrrha chuckled at Ruby's over the top impression of the Vanguard Commander.

"And then he asks me why I'm trying to waste resources and I'm like, 'Do you KNOW how much Glimmer we waste on making these weapons!?' Bah, I need to stop stressing, I'm going to give myself an ulcer. Does stir-fry sound good?"

"Anything is good."

"Good to hear," Ruby pulled out a large pan, "So, how was Mercury?"

"Hot. I honestly don't know how there was ever life there."

"I actually spent half a year there about," Pyrrha could tell Ruby had closed one eyes, tongue sticking out, "Three years before the Collapse. It was beautiful… A lot of things were, before the Collapse."

Pyrrha didn't press Ruby for answers on that, the Hunter never spoke of what happened the day of the Collapse beyond the broadest of terms.

"Why were you on Mercury?"

"I was trying to find out if anyone had heard of Remnant. I didn't like living on the streets, mugging people to survive, you know? I wanted to go home, find out what had happened to Vale."

Pyrrha reached up, touching the starburst scar just above her breasts, "Yes. Did you ever-"

"Do you really think I would have been in Houston if I had found a way home?"

"No, I suppose not. Oh, thank you."

Pyrrha took the plate, quickly scooping a bite.

Ruby span the chair around, resting her arms on the back.

"So, where do you think you'll be going after this?"

"I'm not."

"Huh?"

"When we were on Mercury, I decided something."

"What's that?"

"I'm leaving the Host, I'm going to make my own Titan Order in the City. I'm going to be staying."

"Is the food that bad that one good meal caused you to quit? Because if so, I'm going right to the Tower and yelling at Zavala until he lets us improve them."

"No," Pyrrha shook her head, red hair flapping around as she laughed, "I've already talked about it with Holborn. I created my own branch of fighting from studying the Sunbreaker texts, and I'm going to recruit Titans to learn them."

"So the meals are just the side benefit."

"Yes, Ruby."

"Cool," Ruby stood up, walking over to where the book still lay, and picked it up, putting it back on the shelf, "You'll have to show me this-"

Ruby's Ghost appeared in a flash of Light next to her, "Transmission from Cayde, he says it's urgent."

"Put him through."

A garbled voice came through, "Ruby! Bad news, the Vex got Tevis, he's in the Black Garden."

"That's not acceptable Cayde, we need him."

"I know, I know. What should I do?"

"Attempt to rescue him, but if things look too bad, pull out. I'd rather lose one good Guardian today than your entire squad, I'll be in constant contact, go!"

"On it."

-X Line Break X-

"Right," Cayde said, flicking open the Ace of Spades and sliding in a speedloader, "You heard the Boss-Lady, we're going in, getting Tevis, and getting out."

"And what the army of genocidal time traveling robots between us and him? Are we supposed to knock on the door and ask them to kindly hand over Tevis?"

"Of course not! Hob," Cayde yelled over his shoulder at the pilot, "Bring us down on a bombing run. Everyone else, be ready to transmat on my signal."

"Right, what should be bring along?"

Cayde grabbed the Chaperone from its place on the floor as the ship canted down, burning through the atmosphere of Mars.

"Reports say the Garden is full of close spaces, so no sniper rifles. Remember, if it moves, isn't Human, Awoken or Exo, it dies."

"What are Vex?"

"Man," Jay spoke, the Titan grabbing his shotgun, "Sometimes I forgot how new to this you are, Sunny."

"...Call me Sunny again, watch how quickly you don't need a ship to reach the surface."

"Point is, Sun," Cayde cut in before the Hunter could cause a fight in the ship, "The Vex are these really weird robots-"

"They're vexing," Tam cut in, the Warlock pulled her gloves on.

"Yeah, that. Anyway, they can warp in anywhere they've been before, because they have some weird way of working with Time. The Black Garden is one of their bases, the other the Vault of Glass on Venus."

"And we're assaulting one of them. Is Ruby insane?"

"All Guardians are a little cracked, I'd say. You can only die so many times before you need something to take the stress away. Haven't you seen the Guardians dancing on the top of the tower?"

"Yes, but seriously? We're five Guardians and a pilot, are we really suited for this?"

"It took six Guardians to break into the Vault of Glass, it took the same amount to bring down Crota. We're more than enough. Hob?"

"One sec. Vanguard, this is Firefly, come in."

"Oh, are we doing Pre-Collapse Military roleplay? Ok, Firefly, this is Vanguard, I read you," there was an unusual bite in Ruby's tone, worry about one of her protégés clear.

"Come on, Ruby, I've always wanted to do this," Hob's voice took on a slight whine.

"Listen, when this is over, I'll let you borrow my ship and bomb a Cabal base. We'll do the whole bells and whistles, down to getting you a Pre-Collapse pilot suit made and awarding you a useless badge."

Cayde shared a look with Alleyne, rolling his eyes lightly at the biplay.

"We're coming in-"

"I'm piggybacking off the Cabal defence array, I know exactly where you are," Ruby cut off Hob with a sudden snarl, "I want you to bomb the hell out of their forces, everyone else mount up, you'll be dropping right from the ship and rushing the portal."

"Why-"

A explosion ruptured the air about them, and Cayde could hear see warning lights flicker on.

"They have a Gate Lord. If you can't kill it in one go, Hob, everyone else has to make it past that thing and you'll circle around for another go at it. Every minute you're not in the Black Garden is a minute Tevis could die."

"Alright, everyone on your Sparrows!"

"Aim for the glowing crystal, Hod. They hate it."

Cayde swung his leg over the body of his vehicle, waiting.

"Anyone got any music?"

"I've got some classical," Jay threw out.

"Hit it."

 _Shoot to Thrill_ blared through the speakers of Cayde's helmet, and he waited for the word.

"Steady, Hob. _Steady_."

"Any closer and they'll get a bead on me."

"Stay far enough away and it will get a bead on someone else if it survives. Trust me."

Cayde could see Sum's hands tighten on the Sparrow's handle, could hear Tam muttering something under her breath.

Another explosion burst through the air, and Cayde felt his servos rattle in their sockets.

"I need to fire."

"Five."

"Ruby, I need to fire."

"Four."

"It's aiming right at us!"

"Three."

"Ruby!"

"Two."

"I'm going to fire-"

"Hob, listen to her."

"One."

"Boss!"

"Fire!"

Cayde heard the missiles launch, followed by the ship shake one last time.

"Cayde, drop! Hob, be ready to pull up the minute they do, it's hurt and it's reeling but it isn't dead!"

Cayde's Ghost activated the button, sending them all flying towards the Vex gate.

Rocketing past the staggered robot, Cayde and the rest entered the Black Garden.

As Cayde jumped off his Sparrow, allowing his Ghost to encrypt it, he brought up the Ace of Spades. Twelve shots tore through the air, piercing the crystals in the guts Goblins waiting for them.

As he heard the rest of the crew join him, Cayde pulled the Chaperone off his back, leveling the shotgun and firing a slug into the head of the charging Minotaur.

Once the robots stopped for a second, Cayde calmly opened the Ace of Spades, reloading his prized revolver.

"Anything?"

His Ghost flickered into existence, the various spikes hovering around his eye as he scanned the area.

"Yes, it's faint, but I'm picking up Tevis's Light!"

"Right, you heard him! We're moving, point us in the right direction."

The group followed his Ghost for about ten minutes, before they found the first sign of Tevis.

A Minotaur was pinned to the wall, a purple arrow torn through its chassis.

"What the-?"

"Never seen a Nightstalker in action, Jay? They're the perfect blend of area denial and destruction. If anything not bathed in Light came near this thing, it would latch onto them with a nearly unbreakable gravitational pull and then crush 'em. I once saw Tevis use it on a horde of Thralls, not a pretty way to go. Come on, we need to keep moving."

When they got to the next set of Vex, Cayde stopped again.

"Tevis didn't do this."

"You sure?"

"Nightstalkers don't make ice. That's high level Solar manipulation, you'd be hard pressed to find any Hunter who can do that."

"Why?"

"We're creatures of pragmatism," Cayde answered Sum's question, nodding to Alleyne, who stepped up, pressing her hands on the giant spikes of ice barring their path, "why bother learning how to make ice when you could make your flames hotter? Better to leave it to the Warlocks, they like sitting around figuring these things out. We good?"

A single rough punch from the Hunter saw the ice rapidly dissolve into steam.

"We're good. Come on."

They traveled deeper into the Black Garden, finding more destroyed Vex.

"Well, whoever they are, they're with Tevis and they're giving the Vex a hell of a time. Ruby! You picking up?"

"I got you, Cayde. Hob, dodge left! Lead it through that valley!"

"You alright?"

"Gate Lord's just being a pit pissy about taking a nap, it'll be in bed by the time you get out of there. In fact," Ruby stopped talking for a moment, "Bang! Right in the kisser! Oh boy, that just made it angrier…"

"That isn't good!"

"Don't worry about it, Hob. I have an idea! Finn, if this works, remind me start pestering Zav to let Fenchurch back into the tower."

"What!?"

"You see that Cabal artillery battery? Fly right over it."

"Are you insane!?"

"It's fine! Finn, begin broadcasting frequently 7.14.4 through the ship.

"Who's Finn?"

"Her Ghost. Ruby, there's someone else stuck here with Tevis!"

"Then rescue them too! You should have a clear evac zone in five minutes."

"I'm not flying over a damn Cabal artillery battery! You've been doing nothing but-"

"Hob, I will have Finn override your controls and pilot that ship myself if I have to. That Gate Lord needs to die, and this should do it."

Cayde heard Hob snarl an affirmative, before shutting off the argument.

"Let's go."

"Is she alright?"

"Ruby doesn't like her students dying, Tevis might bite it if we don't get there, so I'm not surprised she's acting a little maniac. It'll be fine, Hob's just a bit skittish."

"But-"

"Ruby almost always has a plan, if she told Hob to fly over something, there's a reason for it. Come on."

It didn't take much longer for the sounds of fighting to reach them, picking up into a sprint, Cayde turned the corner.

Vex were marching towards two people, the familiar frame of Tevis stood, launching arrow after arrow from this dusk bow, and the other was stabbing at the Vex with a sword, favoring her left arm.

Cayde took the six feet between them in a single blink, planting a dagger into the back of the Minotaur leading the assault. Then, he reached for the coil of energy deep inside him, his optics going black as he cut himself off from the rest of the world.

As the Vex turned to look at him, the Exo allowed the Arc to roll off his frame, a long knife rolling into existence to be caught by his hand.

As the Bladedancer brought the blade up, there was a brief lull. The single, red eye of the Goblin in front of him met his two. The gauntlets, inlaid with bones, tightened as Cayde gave the Exo equivalent of a grin.

 **Give me your arm, oh bearer mine. Let me help you fill the world with teeth.**

Cayde's hand flicked out, hacking the Vex in two in milliseconds. The body was rapidly consumed by the Arc.

Then Cayde _moved_.

With the speed that could only truly be achieved with an Arc empowered body, Cayde hacked through the army of Vex with surgical precision. Each kill drove him further on, revitalizing his shields as he recycled the energy.

Cayde felt, rather than heard, the Hobgoblin's shot strike him, the roar of the Arc blocking out everything.

Tevis launched another arrow over him, before the bow sputtered out, his Light spent.

Cayde turned, Sum and Alleyne had golden revolvers in hand, each shot consuming their target in Solar flames. After three shots, Sum's faltered, disappearing as she rushed to grab her pulse rifle. Alleyne's continued, her fifty years as a Guardian having strengthened the bond between her Light and her, even in this dark place. More bullets than could have physically been held in it were fired before it faded.

Tam launched a spear of Void, scattering the last of the Vex.

"Hob, be ready to transmat us on my mark!"

"The Gate Lord is still alive!"

"No. It isn't," Ruby's voice cut across the channel, icy, "Finn, fire all guns from sector 3A to 3F."

Silence.

"Holy shit," Hob breathed out across the channel.

"Hob?"

"It's dead. Ready for transmat when you get out of there."

The combined party got out of the Black Garden, the Vex having apparently decided against throwing more at them, and were on the ship within half an hour.

Once Tevis was reuniting with his resuscitated Ghost, and they were on their way to the Tower, Ruby came on the channel.

"Tev," Ruby's voice was clipped, the anger clear.

"Ruby."

"What did you think you were doing, going into the Black Garden alone?"

"I was making sure the Vex up to anything. We both know Osi-"

"You nearly died, Tev. You die there, you die forever. I already lost Jaren that way, I can't lose you too."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," Ruby voice lightened, "Shin's coming to the City soon, I expect to see you both at my place."

Cayde could have sworn he heard Tevis mutter something unflattering under his breath, "Yes, Ruby."

"Now, Cayde. You said there was someone else there?"

"Yeah. Hey, Warlock, what's your name?"

The girl blinked, "Me?"

"Yeah, you."

"Why did you call me, Warlock?"

"Well, that was pretty advanced Light manipulation you did, so I figured you were a Warlock. Where's your Ghost?"

The girl's brow scrunched up, "Ghost? I'm sorry, I don't know what you are talking about."

Great, it was Sum all over again.

"What's your name?"

"Weiss Schnee."

"And you don't-"

"Hob," Ruby's voice came, unusually serious, "I want you to double time it back to the City. Cayde, you bring Weiss to my office the minute you get there."

"Ok?"

"Good. I need to go, Zavala is probably looking for me."

Ruby disconnected, leaving everyone sharing looks of confusion.


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby leaned back, gasps escaping her as she attempted to regain her lost composure. No way. No way.

Ruby heard Pyrrha's feet walk across the wood paneling, even out of her pneumatically sealed armor the steps were like gunshots. It wasn't even that Pyrrha was loud, Ruby's hearing had just been elevated to that level upon becoming a Guardian.

"Was that really Weiss?"

"I don't know," Ruby moaned, running her hands across her face. Traveler's Light, she didn't want to deal with this, "The last time I saw her was seven hundred years ago, I can't remember what she sounded like."

At some point, despite Ruby's struggles to avoid it, talking about it in length to Finn, her memories of Remnant had became blurred. What was Yang's mother's name? How many siblings did Jaune have?

Even things after the Collapse blurred together at times. Had she spent three years wandering the Atacama following Rezyl's dea- _disappearance_ or four?

"Hey," Pyrrha sat down beside her, pulling her into a one armed hug, "It will be alright. If it's Weiss, it will be nice to see someone else from Remnant, if it isn't, then at least you rescued someone from the Black Garden."

"But if it's Weiss, how did she get there? The Vex weren't on Remnant, they shouldn't have her."

"We'll figure it out, Ruby. One step at a time."

"You know the worst part? If this is Weiss, she's going to be really angry when I tell her she can't leave the city without a Guardian," Ruby mumbled into Pyrrha's arm, eyes locked onto the pitted surface of the Traveler out her window.

"She could become one of us."

"Only if a Ghost chooses her, which I doubt."

"Why?"

"They were all made at once, and Weiss wasn't in the solar system, so I doubt there's one for her."

"I wasn't in the solar system either, but Jaune was made for me."

"Yeah," Ruby pulled out of the hug with a sigh, "I need to head back to the Tower, can you meet me there in four hours? I think it might be a bit easier for her if we were both there."

"I could go with you now."

"You," Ruby pointed a finger at Pyrrha, "Need a shower. You smell horrible."

"I don't-"

"Yes, you do. Go, Now. Before I make you sleep on the couch."

Pyrrha laughed, "Ok, ok, I'm going!"

"Finn, do you mind-"

"Shuttle's already on its way. ETA 2 minutes."

"Thanks, buddy."

Ruby let her armor rematerialize, feeling the light armor pressing against her body through the skintight suit.

Reluctantly leaving the loft, Ruby stepped into the elevator, bringing her to the bottom floor.

"Finn, remind me to buy the condo below mine at some point. I want someplace other people can stay, I don't think we'll be able to fit myself, Pyr, Shin and Weiss into a single loft."

"Already sent the order, should be ours within a week."

"I really don't know what I would do without you."

"Be dead?"

Ruby didn't give the sarcastic remark an answer, stepping off the elevator as the small car pulled up. Perfectly on time, as usual.

The door opened, allowing Ruby into the back, the Frame driving turned to face her.

"What is your destination, Ma'am?"

"Overwatch District, sub-sector T-4, Vanguard."

"Please give appropriate clearance."

"I'll give you appropriate- Grimoire-Helos-Vista, Ruby Rose," Ruby growled out, trying to ignore the mounting headache. Which Commander came up with this idea? She bet it was Ayane. The other Hunter had always been a stickler for military life.

"Confirmed, setting to priority one."

"About time."

The shuttle started to move, and Ruby leaned against the window.

Ruby saw Finn appear over her shoulder in a flash of Light, the sparks raining down. Worry was clear in his eye.

"What?"

"You need to relax. I know you haven't been sleeping well since Crota died."

"I'll rest when Oryx is dead."

"And when the next disaster comes? Ruby, you're going to burn yourself out."

"I'm fine, Finn."

"Approaching Overwatch District."

"Call Amanda, would you?"

Finn's spikes span, mulling it over, no doubt. Then the accented voice of the Tower's head mechanic came into the cab.

"Ruby, what is it? I'm busy loading some… _goods_ for that job-"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Amanda," Ruby cut in loudly, eying the Frame, "I just wanted to ask for you to get my ship ready, I'm going to take a loop around South America after I talk to Zavala."

"Right, I can do that."

"Thanks."

"Any time. Have you heard from Cayde? He isn't answering my calls."

"He was a bit busy last time I spoke to him, but should be back in the Tower before eight tonight. He needs to drop someone his team rescued off with me, then you can grab him."

"Alright, your ship should be ready within a hour."

"Thanks again, Amanda, I need to get out of the City for a bit."

"Any time, really."

Ruby stepped out of the car, and into the high speed elevator in the Vanguard entrance. Closing her eyes, Ruby let her mind flicker to the past.

 _The bite of the sandstorm tore at her skin. Her left hand was nothing but a flayed mass of flesh, and the Fallen prowled around her, thinking she was dead. Cute._

 _Warm hands on her back, working at the knot. They were calloused from years training with a weapon that didn't exist anymore. Something wet pressed against the back of her neck._

 _She looped around Deimos, letting the Cabal missile crash into the smaller moon. A laugh burst forth, and Ruby flipped her ship, firing._

Ruby opened her eyes, walking out of the elevator, and towards Zavala's office.

"Zav, I need to ask you something."

"Ruby, we were just talking about you," the blue-skinned Commander looked over.

"I wasn't involved," Ruby responded without missing a beat.

The other man sitting at the desk stood, towering over everyone in the room. His face was covered in white hair.

"That sounds like a confession of guilt to me, lassie."

"Then I guess you're hearing is going just as quickly as your wits, Grandpa. Maybe if you didn't take so many hits to the head, you'd be in a better place."

The man walked over, reaching out, and pulled Ruby into a hug. A booming laugh echoed through the room.

"It's good to see you, Ruby."

The Hunter wrapped her, arms around the man, "I missed you too, Holb. How'd Mercury treat you? Pyrrha said it was hot."

"It was, except during the nights, then it was dreadfully cold. Made the Sonoran look like a nice day."

"I bet, so Zav, whatcha need me for?"

Looks like she wasn't getting out today.

"Holborn was looking for you, and I told him I thought you were taking the rest of the day off."

What.

"Zav, we've worked together for thirty years now, have I _ever_ taken a day off?"

"There's a first time for everything," Zavala looked guilty, "You really should, Ikora and I have both done so recently."

"Maybe when Oryx is dead. If you don't need me, I'm going to do a loop or two are South America."

"Stressed?"

"A team I sent out found someone in the Black Garden, I'm going to be meeting her and helping her get situated in the City in a couple of hours."

"Why did you send a team to the Black Garden?"

"I sent Cayde's fireteam to look for Tev, guess where he was."

"He's alright?"

"Yeah. Probably will wish he had died there when I get my hands on him, but it won't be anything his Ghost can't fix."

"Very well, should Ikora or I be there?"

"Nah, I've got it handled. So, am I clear?"

"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Holb, see you later?"

"See you later, Lass."

Ruby walked through the halls, taking the stairs down two floors to where the Hanger sat.

"Amanda! Is she ready?"

"Yeah, should be waiting for take off."

"Good to hear!"

Ruby walked over to her ship. The heavy fighter already being moved onto the runway by a Frame.

Finally, a bit of time to relax.

-X Line Break X-

Weiss watched the group, a hand on Myrtenaster. Most of them had started to ignore her after the call with 'Ruby' had ended, three hours ago.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Standing up, she drew her sword with a flourish.

One of them, the horned mech, glanced at her.

"Put the sword away, I don't need my ship any more broken than it already is. Ruby better pay me back," he turned back to the game, electric blue eyes watching the cards.

"Not until you tell me where I am, and who you are! I was kidnapped by strange mechs, you all come and grab me, and now you're taking me somewhere else! Are you planning to ransom me to my father?"

"Why? Is your father important?

Weiss stopped, jaw hanging open for a moment, "Yes!"

"Good, it should make getting you back to him easier. What's his name?"

"Jacques Schnee? The head of the SDC?"

"Never heard of him, any of you?"

Weiss noticed the woman in the white cloak pause, before shaking her head with the rest.

"What's SDC short for? Maybe they're in the Consensus?"

The what? No, not important right now, "The Schnee Dust Company!"

"Dust," The blue skinned man Weiss had found in the Black Garden scoffed, a bottle hanging from his hand, "If your daddy somehow managed to get rich off dust, I really don't know whether I should shake his hand for pulling a fast one, or introduce his face to Hawkmoon for fucking people out their resources."

"Dust is difficult to get!"

Tev reached down, scraping the red dirt of the desert they had arrived on off his boot, and blew it into the air.

"There, Princess, dust. That sure was hard to get."

"Not that kind of Dust!"

"Then what kind of dust?"

"Dust Crystals!"

"Oh, sorry. Let me scrape some more off and pack it up."

"Nature's Wrath?" Nothing, "Elemental Crystals?" Nope, "the stuff powering this ship?"

"This ship doesn't run on Dust, it runs on gas," the Mech rolled its eyes, "anyway, we're taking you to the City."

"Which City? Mantle?" No, they had been in a desert, "Vacuo?"

How far had she been taken?

"Princess, there's only one City."

"Speaking of home," Hob's voice crackled over the failing speakers, "We're starting our approach now."

White Cloak walked over, gently leading Weiss back to her seat and strapping her in.

"Hopefully, Ruby will be able to help you."

Weiss opened her mouth to say something, but jerked back suddenly as the plane rumbled.

After the most hectic hour of Weiss's life, the mech, Cayde, helped her out of the ship and up a flight of stairs.

"Ruby! We're here!"

"Come in, Weiss. Cayde, Amanda was looking for you."

"Yeah, I know. Good luck, Princess."

Weiss stepped into the room, looking around.

The first thing she noticed was the wall, coated with Scrolls showing everything from maps to biometrics to schematics for guns.

The next thing she noticed was the desk, or more particularly, the two women at it.

One was sitting with her legs thrown up onto the desk, ignoring the paperwork sitting on it. Faintly glowing silver eyes stared at her through a short bob of hair, and she was wearing what appeared to be a wetsuit with scavenged armor over it. A red cloak with silver embroidery was hanging off the back of her chair. Sitting on her hip was a massive revolver, as black as night except for the silver rail sight.

The other was someone Weiss recognized.

Pyrrha Nikos's heavy armor, missing the loose flaps of cloth and belts of the other woman, was colored bronze with red accents, and looked similar to what Atlesian soldiers wore. The only exception was the red cloth that hung from her waist to her ankle, which was embroidered with many bronze symbols. Squinting at them, Weiss made out several of the symbols on her future partner's waist. A circle bisected by a spear, a hexagon cut into four triangles, two large and two small, two crescents facing downward.

"Weiss," the silver eyed woman clapped her gloved hands together, drawing her attention, "So glad you could make it!"

Like she had a choice.

"Who are you?"

"Come on, you know me!"

"I do?"

"Yeah, it's me! Ruby!"

"I don't know any Ruby. I know you though," Weiss directed that to Pyrrha, "Where are we, Pyrrha? Everyone one is acting like they don't know the SDC."

No answer.

Ruby's jaw was hanging open, and Pyrrha looked bewildered.

"Uh…"

"You can tell me later," Weiss cut them off, "I wanted to ask, do you want to be partners?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"When we go to Beacon, do you want to be partners?"

Ruby's face slowly shifted, a stormy look overtook her face, "Weiss, what is the last thing you remember before the Vex took you?"

What?

"I was finishing the test my father gave me to go the Beacon."

"I see," Ruby's expression went flat, "Weiss, I hate to tell you this, but we don't know any way to get you home."

"What!? Just call my father!"

"We would, if he was in the same solar system as us."

"What are you talking about-"

"Weiss, look at those maps, do any of them look like Remnant?"

Weiss's eyes flickered to the wall, before stopping.

No. None of them did.

"What-"

"Things like time and space don't matter to the Vex. They grabbed you, took you from Remnant, and left you here."

"Then find a way to bring me home!"

"There's no way."

"How do you know-"

Weiss stopped, staring at Pyrrha. Oh.

"The same thing happened to you."

"It wasn't the Vex, as far as we know, but yes."

"How long ago?"

"Seven hundred years."

"Don't joke about this."

"I'm not. Guardians like us, we don't die."

"Everyone dies-"

Ruby wiped the gun off her hip, and Pyrrha looked away. What-

The revolver roared, and Weiss saw something shatter, before Ruby's skull exploded into a shower of gore.

Weiss couldn't resist the shriek that rose up as the dead body collapsed to the side, the revolver falling from limp fingers, and spasmed for a moment before it stopped.

One of the little robots everyone seemed to own flashed into existence, waving a beam of light over Ruby's body, which disintegrated.

The red spikes span around the center eye before it spoke.

"Let there be Life."

In a flash of light, Ruby's body hung it the air for a moment, before landing. Ruby's head turned to the side, looking at the robot.

"Isn't it supposed to be 'let there be Light'?" Ruby teased, like she hadn't just come back from the dead.

"She didn't know that," the robot whined, "It made me look philosophical!"

"That's your idea of philosophical?"

"It sounded cool!"

"Cool and philosophical don't mean the same thing!"

Weiss watched the two go back and forth, slowly calming down from the shock, before speaking up.

"So I'm stuck here?"

"Yes. I'm sorry."

Weiss looked away, trying to keep the tears down as fear gripped her. She would never see Winter again? Never inherit the company?

"Now what?"

"Now, you stay with us, until you find what you want to do. This isn't the end, Weiss, even though I know it feels like one."

"I was going to be a Huntress."

"That isn't possible anymore."

"So, I should just give up?"

"I didn't say that," Ruby spoke softly, "We'll try find something, Weiss, but we have other things to do. You dropped in at a bad time."

Ruby stood, taking Weiss by the hand.

"Come on, it's getting late. Let's get something to eat before we get too worked up."

Weiss followed, feeling numb.


	3. Chapter 3

Weiss stepped into the apartment, looking around dispassionately.

"I thought you said we were going to get something to eat."

"We are, but I want to change first, this stuff," Ruby tapped a hand on her chest piece, "makes people uncomfortable. It'll only take a minute."

Ruby started to walk away, before disappearing in a flash of purple, petals fluttered down where she had been standing.

"That was a waste!"

Ruby leaned over the balcony, armor already gone and one arm hanging out. Weiss caught sight of vein like clusters of silver light for a moment. One on her neck, another on her shoulder. There was also a small black choker around her neck, embedded with purple and gold gems.

"Whatcha going to do about it, Pyr?"

"Nothing, I'm just saying, why did you blink when you could just," Pyrrha tensed, "jump?"

The armored woman launched herself across the room with barely a sound, a red aura lighting around her and slowing her as she landed next to Ruby.

"My clothes are still in the dresser?"

"Did you think I had burned them or something?"

Weiss stood there, feeling thoroughly out of place, as the couple(?) disappeared towards the bed.

Suddenly, two robots appeared next to her in an explosion of sparks. Weiss jumped slightly, hand straying to touch Myrtenaster.

"So! You're Weiss," the red and silver one said, sounding cheerful, "It's nice to finally meet you!"

"Hello?"

"Hi! I'm Finn, and this guy over here," Finn span around the other one, "is Jaune!"

"Hi," the black and gold robot responded unhappily.

"Ignore him, he doesn't like anyone."

"That isn't true," Jaune muttered, "I just don't like you."

Weiss wasn't sure whether the robot was talking about her or Finn. He was looking (glaring, really) at her, but also sent out one of his spikes to intercept Finn.

The red robot casually dodged it, obviously used to these attempts.

Probably Finn then.

"What are you?"

If she was stuck here, best to find out everything she could, and everyone seemed to have these.

"We're Ghosts! Highly advanced AI-"

"They're glorified keyrings that have the added bonus of bringing us back to life."

"Do you HAVE to ruin any mystique about us!?"

"I can't let you get too big an ego, you might try to hijack the remains of Charlemagne again."

"You try to inhabit one Warmind, and suddenly everyone is afraid you'll go Skynet on them."

"You dropped a Warsat on Saint."

"I was aiming for the Fallen next to him!"

"Big comfort for him, you scattered him across the northern face of Elysium Mons! We're still trying to find parts of him!"

"Is that why he hasn't been around? I thought he had gone on another rampage against the Fallen after Skolas started causing problems again."

"I wish! Finn scattered him so badly that we can't find enough parts to revive him!"

"How can you bring people back to life?" Weiss cut the good natured barbs off.

"It's uh… hard to explain."

"Try."

"Well, I'm not sure how it's done on already dead ones, you'd have to ask Jaune on that one-"

"It's _really_ complicated and involves metaphysics so advanced even I didn't understand half of it. Moving on."

"Why haven't you ever had to do it?"

"I never died," Ruby threw out from where she was apparently trying on outfits, considering how long it took "I was _changed_ by the Collapse, but was still alive and conscious when Finn found me."

Changed? The Collapse?

"Yeah. So, when me and Ruby bonded, I gave her some of my Light, and took in some of hers. It's a symbiotic link-"

"How does this look, Pyr?"

"A jacket and cloak? Really?"

"I'm going concealed carry. Easier if I have something that won't move much. Besides you're still wearing your Mark."

"Then take a sidearm, you don't need First Curse."

"I would, but there are reports of Roman and Lysander's men skulking about."

"Then carry it as an Engram."

"And risk them getting the jump on us?"

"-I can bring her back, and she can bring me back. When one of us dies, we create a new body and drag the Light back into it."

"Right, ready to go!"

Ruby appeared in another flash of purple, while Pyrrha landed next to her.

Ruby was wearing a pair of tights, a skirt, and a leather jacket with her cloak covering it. The choker was barely visible. All in black and red.

Pyrrha meanwhile, was wearing a modified version of what she wore to tournaments, with a full shirt covering her.

"Come on, let's go!"

-X Line Break X-

The Ghost rushed through the City, looking for her Guardian.

She had spent hundreds of years looking for her, and she was sure it was a her, but hadn't seen any sign of her.

The other Ghosts all said the same thing, she would know her when she saw her.

Sometimes, she wished his creator had been less vague about her Guardian, anything beyond a feeling of what she was like.

Strong, commanding, brave.

Would they get along? The Ghosts said that the day she found her Guardian would be the greatest day of her life, but after so long, she wasn't sure.

The Ghost passed by two Guardians walking with a human, the Hunter chatting away.

"-Really good barbecue place down by the Consensus. Me and Ikora go there with Shun sometimes."

The Ghost stopped, feeling a tug. Could it be?

Turning, the Ghost rocketed in the other direction, back towards the three of them.

"-Talking to Shun again?"

"Yeah. I don't blame her, relationships between Guardians and non-Guardians are always hard. Ayane nearly broke up with her husband when we realized we had stopped aging."

"I don't remember Ayane having a husband…"

"He died before we found you, there wasn't much in the way of medicine in the Dark Age, all it took was one untreated bullet wound and, well…"

The Ghost watched the white haired girl look between the two. The Hunter's hand had tightened into a fist.

"Akihiro was always a good man. Patched me up more times than I can count. He deserved better than an unmarked grave somewhere in Central America."

The human, her Guardian, spoke up for the first time, "It sounds like you've had a hard life."

The pale skinned woman shrugged, "It hasn't been that bad. There were rough stretches, but as a whole-"

"Excuse me," the Ghost spoke up, gathering all her bravery, "can I talk to the human?"

The Hunter stopped, turning, "Of course, little star. What do you need from her?"

"I think you might be my Guardian," the Ghost told the human, who blinked.

"Uh…"

"What do you know, Pyr, you were right. Congratulations, Weiss."

"Why would I want to be a Guardian?"

The Ghost felt her (metaphorical) stomach drop. She didn't want her…

"Well, it gives you better chances of getting home, seeing as you won't die until you do."

Weiss worried her lip, "I'm not sure…"

"It's fine," The Ghost fought valiantly to keep her heartbreak from echoing in her voice, "I understand."

The Ghost turned, starting to float towards the Tower.

"Oi," the Hunter plucked her from the air, "not so fast! How about you two hang out for a few days? Get a feel for each other, then make a decision?"

Weiss blinked, "Sure?"

"Good! Now, let's get some food, I haven't eaten since breakfast and am starving!"

"We don't starve," Pyr deadpanned.

"Figure of speech!"

-X Line Break X-

Pyrrha blinked sleepily, rolling over to look at where Ruby was sliding on her bodysuit.

"Ruby, it's," Pyrrha looked over, "Five in the morning, come back to bed."

"I can't," Ruby said, speaking quietly so as to not wake up Weiss, who was asleep on the couch, "The Vanguard is to meet with the Consensus and brief them on the Taken threat."

"Why'd you take this job again?" Pyrrha grumbled, shifting to get comfortable.

She wasn't sure which was more distracting, the space she had, or the sudden lack of an extra body.

"It was me or Cayde, do you really want to imagine having him trapped in the Tower?"

"He could go on flights."

"Nah," Ruby grinned, throwing on her cloak, "Zav would have to restrict him to the Tower, otherwise Cayde would disappear the first chance he got."

"Probably," Pyrrha admitted, reluctantly.

"Tell you what? Zav's been harping on me to take a break, so how about I take the second half of the day off? We could show Weiss around, cuddle, whatever you want."

"That does sound nice."

"Good," Ruby smiled, adjusting her cloak, "Kiss?"

Pyrrha pushed herself up, kissing Ruby.

Ruby winked, walking over to the balcony of the loft, and jumping down. Pyrrha heard the door creak open, before shutting.

Pyrrha turned, looking out at the Traveler as dawn broke over the Last City.

"Pyrrha?" Weiss's voice cut across the air.

"Oh! Did we wake you?"

"No. I've been awake for a bit."

…

"Was Ruby telling the truth? You've been here for seven hundred years?"

"Closer to six hundred eighty for me, but yes."

"...Do you think I'll get home?"

"I can't say," Pyrrha admitted, "we never found a way, but we haven't been looking. Ruby stopped after the Collapse, and I never really had a chance to start."

"Then, do you mind telling me about this place? If I'm going to be stuck here, I want to know about it."

"Why don't we go get breakfast first? It's a bit early, but I think it would be easier to explain out of the house."

"Couldn't we cook something here?"

"No."

"Why, is there something wrong with the stove?"

"No, I'm just… not allowed to use it."

"Why?"

"...I might have burned the last kitchen…"

"What?"

"I'm not good at cooking, ok? Come on, there's a place nearby run by a friend of Ruby."

\- X Line Break X-

Penny sighed, letting the Engrams roll between her fingers.

The two Future War Cult Titan sitting around one of the tables at her diner were making things annoying. Again.

They were technically banned, under threat of having to fight Ruby or Pyrrha (or, Traveler save them, both) in a crucible match.

Penny let out an affectionate snort of laughter. Four hundred years and she was still the baby of the bunch. She probably hadn't helped matters by being the first to retire from Guardian duty.

Ok, so a retired Guardian wasn't technically a _thing_. The Vanguard reserved the right to reinstate anyone with a Ghost into active duty at their discretion, but Penny's best friend was on the Vanguard, so Penny was free to run her restaurant without a worry.

Except, of course, for the two… _idiots_ currently making a mess of things. Traveler, they made the rest of the FWC look down right reasonable in comparison.

Nick, Penny's Ghost, quietly decrypted the Engrams under the counter, the Rose forged weapons settling comfortably into Penny's hands.

The other patrons, Guardian and Civilian alike, were looking uncomfortable as the two Titans did their grandstanding.

That was the problem, she'd have shot one of them by now to make a point, but there were civilians.

They were going to scare off business.

Penny sighed in annoyance. She didn't want to call Ruby, she had enough on her plate at the moment.

The Exo Titan slammed his hands on the counter, cracking it slightly. Alright, that's where she drew the line.

"So, why aren't you out there fighting instead of-!?"

His optics followed the black knife that flipped into the air, one side imprinted with her emblem, and the other with Ruby's. Penny saw the iris dilate as the world seemed to slow down.

Reaching out, Penny wrapped one hand around his cranium, before spiking it off the counter. His Awoken friend went for their shotgun, and Penny flicked up the sidearm, stopping her in her tracks.

Penny caught the knife, swinging it down until it was half an inch above the Exo's optic.

"Get out of my restaurant. _Now_."

The Titans had their walls, The Warlocks had their libraries, The Hunters had their ships, and Penny had her diner. It was _hers_ and she wouldn't let anyone harm it.

Every second the tension grew, and Penny tightened her grip on the knife. Had they called her bluff?

The bell on the door jangled, and a familiar voice called out before stopping in its tracks.

"Penny! How have you be- what's going on here?"

Oh, when had Pyrrha gotten back?

The Titan stood, hand gripping the pump. Then her eyes flicked to the heraldic symbols on Pyrrha's waist, and she apparently thought better of it, walking away, pushing past Pyrrha and out of the shop.

After Penny moved the blade, the Exo rushed to follow her while throwing a dirty look over his shoulder.

Penny was left standing there with a knife and a gun as an awkward silence fell over the room.

Nick reverted the weapons to Engrams. A Penny coughed awkwardly. Nobody was expecting the kindly cook to do stuff like that. They knew she was a former Warlock, every regular had spoken to Nick at least once, but she didn't advertise what that actually meant.

"Pyrrha!" She rushed around the counter, pulling the Titan into a hug in an attempt to break the lull, "When did you get back?"

Pyrrha took the hint, returning the hug, "Just yesterday, I wanted to see Ruby first, and then something came up."

"Like what?"

"Like… well…" Pyrrha nodded behind her, "Her."

Penny looked behind the Titan, blinking at the white haired girl with a ghost bobbing next to her head.

"Weiss?"

Ruby was playing with her knife, waiting for the general politicking of the Consensus to finish up so they could get on to the actually _important_ things.

Seriously, how many times would it take for Hideo to realize the Consensus was never going to willingly disband itself? She remembered when the brat was little more than twenty and trying this and now he was in his sixties and still trying.

The knife was part of a set she had made three centuries before. One for her, one for Pyrrha, one for Holborn, one for Tevis, one for Shin, and one for Penny. There wasn't anything particularly special about them, Ruby had just learned that having a knife as an emergency weapon could come in handy.

"Finally," Bi- _The Speaker_ said, "The Vanguard has a matter that must be discussed."

Ruby swung her feet down, pushing herself out of her chair to join Ikora and Zavala.

The extravagant building that housed the governing body of the Last City was lit up with hushed whispers as the three leaders of its military arm stepped up to the podium.

Ruby didn't blame them, Ikora and her often let Zavala deal with the Consensus, preferring to work on other matters. Everyone knew that if all three of them were here, something big was happening.

Finally, Zavala spoke, his voice booming throughout the amphitheatre.

"Two days ago, at approximately 0400 hours CST, an unknown threat was detected in orbit around Saturn. At 1400 hours, we got our first look at the threat on Phobos."

Zavala's Ghost created a hologram of the Taken Knight.

"They are called the Taken, led by Oryx, the God-King of the Hive. He has declared war on every faction in the system, from the Fallen to the City."

The Consensus exploded into hurried whispers, and Ruby stepped up, taking Zavala's place.

"It gets worse. At 0700 hours, the Reef engaged Oryx's fleet. There are, as of this time, no known survivors. Among the casualties are Queen Mara Sov and Prince Uldren Sov. The Reef has been crippled."

The whispers grew louder.

"It is the Vanguard's intention to begin calling in all Guardians to shore up our defenses," Zavala continued.

"Would it not be better to strike now, before they have time to recover from the Reef's attack?" Lakshmi-2 asked, "The Queen gave her life for this, it would be quite the insult to let it go to waste."

That's what I said, Ruby thought, but Zav doesn't want to listen, does he? Walls can only do so much.

It was an odd day when Ruby and Lakshmi were in agreement about something.

"We will honor her sacrifice by being ready to defend the City against their assault."

The Exo's optics flickered to Ruby as Hideo whispered something to her.

"And that is opinion of the Vanguard?"

"That is the decision of the Vanguard Commander."

The unspoken words were, of course, "No, I don't support Zavala's decision, yes, the plan is still on."

Lakshmi nodded leaning back into her chair.

Bil- The Speaker nodded, "Very well. We will trust the Vanguard on this decision."

"There's more."

"Oh?"

"Yes," Ruby spoke through gritted teeth, "With the current matter it is the Vanguard's belief that the City would be better defended if we allowed the temporary suspension of the banishment of such groups as the Disciples of Osiris and…" Ruby sucked air through her clenched teeth, tightening her hand, "Concordat."

-X Line Break X-

Weiss watched the ginger haired girl walk around the back of the kitchen, cooking food. She hadn't shown any sign of repeating the sight her and Pyrrha had walked in on.

Her Ghost was idly bobbing around the diner taking orders before going back to deliver them to Penny.

Weiss looked at her own Ghost, who was looking out at the giant sphere over the city.

The tram they had taken here had gotten so close that Weiss had thought she could have leaned out to touch it.

"What is that?"

Pyrrha looked over, before going back to watching Penny cook like it was no big deal.

She guessed after seven hundred years, it wasn't. Would she get to that point if she agreed to partner with… her Ghost?

They needed to think of a name.

"That's the Traveler," the soft voice of her Ghost said, "they made me. Made all Ghosts. I wonder what he was like."

"You don't know?"

"No. He died after the Collapse, releasing us in his final moments. None of us got to speak to him, to ask _why_."

"If it's dead then how is it still floating?"

"'That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die.'"

Weiss jumped in her seat, turning to look at the girl who had walked in, and trying to resist staring.

Her face had prominent burn scars, disrupting her dark skin. A heavy book sat in the crook of her arm, and she was wearing an off white blouse covered in a brown vest and corset. A ghost of the same color hovered behind her.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," she smiled, "Newly raised?"

"Uhh," Weiss tried to focus on anything other than the scars. It wasn't polite to stare.

"Amber! What are you doing here?" Pyrrha came in with the save.

"I had borrowed a book from Ruby a couple of weeks ago, I didn't think I would have time to finish it, so I wanted to leave it with Penny. Commander Zavala has started holding our feet to the fire recently. Do you mind making sure she gets it? You still live together, right?"

"Of course. Join us for breakfast?"

"I wish I could, but I'm actually running some papers down to the Pilgrim Guard and First Pillar. Maybe next time?"

"That sounds lovely. I'll try to drag Ruby away from work."

Amber laughed, walking backwards towards the door, "That will be the day. Thanks again!"

Then she turned, jogging out the door and down the street.

"Who was that?"

"Hmm?" Pyrrha was flipping through the book, a heavy hardcover with an image of a creature with tentacles hanging from the lower half of its face, "Oh, sorry. That was Amber. She's like us."

Like them? Ohhhh, she was from Remnant.

"Do you mind-"

The bell rang again, and Ruby walked in.

"Ruby! What can I get you?"

Ruby gave a groan, before planting her head on the counter, apparently missing that Weiss and Pyrrha were even there.

"What?"

"We're temporarily rescinding all banishments from the City."

"So?"

Ruby just gave another moan.

Finn appeared above her, "Ruby has to go tell Roman and Lysander that."

Ruby gave yet another moan.

"Oh. Oh no."

Ruby moaned again, this time in agreement.

"I should probably get Pyrrha-"

"I'm right here."

"Come with me? Please?"

"Of course."

Who was Roman and Lysander, and why was Ruby acting like going to meet them was a death sentence?

-X Line Break X-

Roman looked up from where was leaning on the balcony of their warehouse base. If his Ghost was right, they were in Rio de Janeiro.

The guards shared a confused look, pointing their Khvostovs at the door.

Roman rolled his eyes, reaching down into his suit and flicking the safety off on his sidearms. For some reason he never understood, the use of two guns had never gained popularity amongst Guardians, despite the Light reinforcing their bodies so they could easily absorb and compensate for the recoil of small arms. These had apparently been a popular model, before the Collapse. Easy to get ammo for.

He hated it. He shouldn't have to be squatting in the ruins of some bombed out city, dodging Fallen patrols. They had everything in the palm of their hands, a seat on the Consensus, highrise apartments in the nicest part of the City, and they had thrown it all away.

To this day, Roman wasn't sure who he was more angry at, Lysander for getting too greedy, himself for being dumb enough to follow along, or Red.

Ok, who was he kidding, if Lysander had strung up Neo like he had Takanome, Roman wouldn't have stopped at running him out of the City.

The door opened, everyone watched as a familiar pair walked in. Roman opened his mouth to stop the guards, but by then it was too late.

Red tilted her head to the side, letting the three bullets sail over her ear. Her eyes flashed, the revolver on her hip coming up and firing with a bang.

The Concordat Guardian dropped his newly damaged gun, and Red ducked, letting Nikos at the other one.

The Titan jumped over her significant other, a burning sword appearing in her hands and stopping half an inch from the Warlock's throat. Roman could feel the sweat start to form along his brow from the heat. Impressive, considering even the newest of Guardians could withstand extremes of a couple hundred degrees in either direction. He had been alive for five hundred years, so that thing had to he hot.

"Red! Nikos! So good to see you," Roman aimed the pistols at the two Guardians, "finally come to wipe us out?"

"I wish," Red scoffed, looking like she had swallowed a lemon, "We're here to inform you that, in light of the current state of affairs, the Vanguard has decided to temporarily rescind your banishment from the Last City. Depending on your behavior during this time, the 'temporarily' may become 'permanently'."

…

…

"You're serious," Roman said.

"Yeah. Go tell Lysander, I can't promise to not kill him."

Then Red turned and left.

Huh.

Well, he certainly wasn't wasting this opportunity.

-X Line Break X-

Shin examined the body, trying to ignore the weight of The Last Word on his hip.

" _Been awhile."_

 _Shin gave no reply, the Martian sun pressing on them both._

 _"The gunslinger's sword... his cannon. That was a gift."_

 _Shin didn't break his silence, the brim of his hat, a gift from Ruby, dipped as he looked down at the gun that had killed Jaren._

 _"An offering from me... to you."_

 _Shin's hand started to trail to his hip._

" _Me and it's crafter have a long history," the soft voice of Dredgen Yor, tinged with an accent belonging to a long dead land, continued, "I loved her, but she didn't share those feelings. At least, I don't think she did. Understandable, these things happen."_

 _Shin's eyes widened under the brim of his hat. Ruby knew Dredgen?_

" _I was a different man, back then. Carried the Light close. Last time we saw each other, I left to fight the Hive. That's where I found this," he slapped a hand again the hand cannon that had taken Jaren's life thirty years before, "People call her 'Thorn', but that's just what I call her ammo. Her proper name is 'Rose.'"_

 _Dredgen started to pace, and Shin moved slightly to keep the Butcher of Palamon in sight._

" _You're strong in the Light, boy. So was I," Dredgen stopped for a second, eyes unfocused, before continuing, "So was I. Rezyl Azzir was the greatest Guardian."_

 _Shin's eyes widened further. Ruby had spoken of Rezyl, always in the present tense, despite everyone insisting that he was dead. Had she known? Or was it just wishful thinking on her part that turned out to be true in the worst way possible?_

 _Dredgen stopped, turning to face Shin again._

" _Do you know why I told you this?"_

 _Shin didn't dignify him with an answer._

" _It's because I enjoy watching Guardians' resolve shatter as they realize that even the great Rezyl Azzir decided to serve the Darkness."_

 _Dredgen tilted his head._

" _Nothing to say?"_

 _Shin didn't answer Dredgen- Rezyl._

" _I've been waiting for you. For this day."_

 _Shin closed one eye, feeling his Light burning in his chest._

 _He would only get one shot, Thorn- Rose- was a Guardian killer._

" _I had thought you had faltered. Given up. But here you are, this is truly an end."_

 _Shin's hand rocketed down, fire spiraling down it as he wrapped his hand around Jaren's, around his, gun._

 _The muzzle flare was as incandescent as the sun. Shin's anger, for Palamon, for Jaren, turning the simple bullets into conduits for his Light._

 _ ***BANG***_

 _ ***BANG***_

 _The first bullet smashed into Dredgen's chest, shattering the remains of his Titan armor. The second one joined its brother, blowing a hole in the fallen hero's side._

 _The Butcher of Palamon fell, trying to suck air through ragged lungs._

 _He had been right, Shin thought, it was an end. But it was-_

" _Yours, not mine," Shin said softly, remembering the words Jaren had said to the magistrate of Palamon so long ago._

 _At his feet, Dredgen Yor, the monster, and Rezyl Azzir, the hero, died._

 _Not once in their confrontation had he reached for his twisted gun._

 _Shin pointed the Last Word down, firing._

 _The gun exploded, the last Light-strengthened bullet destroying the cursed revolver._

 _Shin turned, walking towards his Sparrow. His Ghost appeared at his side._

" _What will we tell Ruby?"_

" _We won't. Better that she live with false hope, then know the truth."_

Thorn was gone, Shin had seen to that.

So why, he wondered as he tore the half foot long spike out of the Guardian's head, were Guardians showing up temporarily dead with the gun's namesake thorns?

Storing it carefully in a bag, Shin mounted up, sending his Sparrow screaming down the path leading to the only shuttle into the Last City.

He would have to ask Ruby.

-X Line Break X-

Summer stood with the rest of her team, waiting for Cayde to explain why they were here.

Instead, Ruby, a woman with red hair in a ponytail, and a bearded, grey haired man walked in.

The man stepped up, a particularly battered looking Ghost appearing next to him. Summer glanced up, and her Ghost, named, coincidentally, Ruby after her daughter, whispered the answer to the unspoken question.

"A personal choice, probably. Some Ghosts like to make it clear they've been through a scrap."

"Hello," the corner to his eyes crinkled upward, "for those of you who aren't aware, I'm Holborn. I have the… dubious honor of explaining to you that your Strike leader signed you up for something that is, in all likelihood, a suicide mission."

Summer shot a nasty look at Cayde's back, only for Alleyne to shrug.

"With all due respect, sir, that isn't much different than any other day."

Holborn let loose a hearty laugh, throwing back his head as he did so.

"Oh, I like you, girl," Holborn continued to chuckle, "yes, I'd guess you are used to suicide missions. But I'd wager that you aren't used to suicide missions funded by both the Vanguard, and one of the biggest non-Consensus-backed Guardian organizations."

"I served two decades as an Assault Titan with the The First Pillar, sir," Jay tapped his Titan Mark, which was emblazoned with a stylized pillar, "I'm used to suicide missions."

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to respect your elders?" Holborn grumbled good naturedly, an amused glimmer in his hazel eyes.

"I wouldn't have to deal with half the migraines I do if someone had taught this lot that," Vanguard-Ruby teased.

Summer would admit, it was funny to watch the rest of her squad squirm uncomfortably at that. They _did_ seem to get dragged to their handler's office an unusually large amount of times.

It reminded her of her time with Team STRQ.

"Oh? Are these lot a bunch of trouble makers?"

"We prefer 'unconventional thinkers'," Cayde replied.

"Well, then you best hope your 'unconventional thinking' pays off today, lad. You're joining me on the deep strike straight into the heart of the Dreadnought. As such, we're giving you all the best experimental tech we got, provided by Suros, Banshee-44, and our very own Ruby Rose."

What.

What were the chances that her boss had the same name as her daughter, _and_ looked similar to Summer? If, of course, you ignored the fact that Vanguard-Ruby was an Awoken.

No, not important right now. If she made it out of the Dreadnought, she would talk to Vanguard-Ruby about it.

"First, we have this," Holborn hefted up the massive gun sitting on the table, "Based on the Cabal heavy slug thrower. It fires six hundred micro-rockets per minute. Each rocket carries a payload of a napalm like mixture that burns at just under 5,000 degrees Celsius for three seconds. That, for you Yanks, is 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Just under the surface temperature of Sol. Short of pointing this thing at me, Ruby, or Osiris, it _will_ ruin the day of almost any Guardian you point it at. The kick on these babies are so bad only us Titans will be using them."

Holborn handed to gun to Jay, who had a mad grin on his face.

"Everyone else will be using regular slug rifles and pistols, same tech, same mixture, but semi-auto. For secondary weaponry, the Reef has been kind enough to supply us with," Holborn kicked open a crate at his side, letting the guns spill onto the floor, "Fallen Shrapnel Launchers, you've seen them, you probably died to them at some point. Thirty rounds per mag, comes with five round burst-fire and full auto modes. We are, of course, assuming that the Hive, as always, does _not_ like fire. Any questions?"

"What about heavy weapons and melee?"

"We are leaving that to your discretion. If there are no other questions, suit up, every second we're here is one that Oryx's backup might arrive!"

-X Line Break X-

Summer examined the two slug pistols.

How did these hold thirty rounds?

Whatever.

Summer looked up, where Jay was gidley stroking the barrel of his new gun.

"Do you guys think I'll be allowed to keep her when we're done? I hope so."

"Do you need some time alone?" Summer snarked, used to Jay's gun fetish.

"Nah. We'll have plenty of time once we're on the Dreadnought."

"Speaking of the Dreadnought," Holborn called from the cockpit, "we're coming in now. Strap in."

Summer did so, watching the rest of her team scramble to do the same. The rest of the Host was already ready.

Holborn's personal ship made Cayde's look like the clunker it was, no parts randomly gave out, causing turbulence even in the void of space.

What would Hob be able to do with a ship like this? He was already a master pilot in Cayde's hunk of junk.

Summer felt herself jolt slightly as the pilot gunned it, the ship rising out of Saturn's ring and past the void that the Dreadnought had made.

Another ship came with them.

"Cabal!"

"I can see that! Tubach, prepare the guns!"

"They're hailing us!"

"Hailing? The Cabal never- put them through! Jimmy, start translating!"

"Guardians!" the voice boomed, "I am Ta'aun, Primus of the Skyburners! I recognize that emblem, you are of Holborn's Host?"

"We are," Holborn said, "I am Holborn."

"Finally," Ta'aun's booming voice hissed, "A voice to put to the name. We have been enemies for many years, Holborn. But today, this _thing_ , this 'Oryx', is the greater foe. The Emperor has given us our orders, we are to establish a beachhead upon the Dreadnought, I take it your 'Vanguard' has ordered the same?"

"They have."

"Then we have both been sent to die," Ta'aun said, resignation in his voice, "it is... comforting to know that even so far from home, soldiers like us can only rely on each other. Let us work together, Primus Holborn. Any force that has managed to hold out against my men for as long as yours has more than earned the right to march alongside the Skyburners."

"I see no problem with that."

"Then allow us to go first, we shall smash a hole."

"Smash a hole?"

"That's the most direct translation I can give you, Holb," Holborn's Ghost said, "I think they plan to ram it."

"Ta'aun! Don't-"

It was too late. The ship, over ten times the size of Holborn's, but still just a speck compared to the Dreadnought, smashed into the side of the Hive ship.

The larger ship gave way.

"Shite! Follow them through," Holborn rushed out and into his pod, "everyone get ready!"

As they entered through the hole the Cabal ship had made, Summer felt her mouth go dry, watching the image projected in her helmet.

"That, is a lot of Hive."

The chitinous bodies of the creatures swarmed over each other, eyeless heads turning to look at them.

"Tubach."

Bombs rained at Holborn's word, smashing into the Thralls and clearing a hole.

"Men, women," Holborn's face was drawn into a serious expression, "last one down there is buying drinks when we get back to the City."

Then Holborn's drop pod fell.

And the Host followed.

-X Line Break X-

Holborn stepped out of the pod, remembering Toland's words.

"Most Hive aren't very smart," the Texan, one of the only two amongst the Twenty, said, "they'll try to drown you in bodies," his eyes had flickered up from the gun that would eventually become Bad Juju, "most won't survive that. If you can, you're golden until the Knights arrive."

Holborn lifted the heavy slug thrower, the barrel spinning up as Thralls charged at him.

The first shots went off thirty feet from him, incinerating the Thralls. Even from as far away as he was, and coated in the climate controlled armor, Holborn felt the brief wave of heat.

It took twenty-seven seconds for the next wave of pods to crash around him, in which Holborn hadn't made a dent in the horde surrounding them.

With one hundred Titans, there was a noticeable dent, but they would still run out of ammo before the horde ended. Which, according to Jimmy, would be in four minutes for him.

Good, Holborn liked a challenge.

Then the Warlocks landed, changing things.

Spears and orbs of Void energy crashed into the horde, tearing the Hive apart at a molecular level. Miniature suns exploded into existence, eating through chitin and flesh.

The Hunters, always better at hit and run, didn't add too much to with clearing. Except for the one with a Gjallarhorn, they cleared a sizable hole with each shot.

The Einherjar would probably throw a tantrum that Feizel Crux's design was used by someone other than them, but Holborn had it on good authority (read: from Feizel's mouth) that he had made sure to "misplace" a shipment so other Guardians could get their hands on them.

Crux/Lomar weren't too picky on who used their designs, so long as they were used for the right purposes. Of course, sometimes Holborn wished they were a bit more careful, like when he had been forced to bodycheck a Truth-seeker round from Lysander.

"Where the hell are the Skyburners!?"

An explosion came from the distance, and Holborn turned his head, laughing as he took in the tanks driving from the other end of the massive hall.

Thralls and Acolytes tore at the lead tank, but couldn't cause any damage to it.

Which is, unfortunately, where the Ogres came in.

The fleshy, tumorous growths where the giant, twisted Hive glowed, before Void blasts smashed into the first tank.

At the same moment, Holborn's gun ran out of ammo. The Titan shrugged off the backpack that held the ammo, before holding out his hand.

Jimmy got his point, decrypting the left most Engram.

Holborn remembered when he had been forced to carry around all three axes, now he could switch between them on the fly. He lowered himself, looking behind him at Cayde and the rest of the kids. The white cloaked girl had a pair of swords, cutting through three Knights.

"Go! Deactivate the gun!"

"You sure? We can stay and help set up here."

"We won't be able to bring in support and set up camp until you take down the gun! Go!"

The team rushed out, and Holborn turned back to the fighting. Ta'aun had charged to the front of his group, a massive fist crushing one of the Ogres' skull.

Holborn grinned under his helmet.

"Jimmy, did I ever tell ya what I did before the Collapse?"

"You did," his Ghost said with slight resignation, obviously ready to put up with Holborn telling it again anyway.

"Then put me through to the Host, I'll tell them," Holborn waited for him to do so, "Men, did I ever tell you what I did before the Collapse?"

"YES!"

"Well, too bad. I'm telling you ungrateful brats anyway!"

"Great, he's turned into _that_ kind of old man now."

Holborn let the laughter ripple. That's why he did these things. It took a bit of the pressure away, made them hold out a bit longer.

In this situation, that was key. If they could hold out until the main gun was down, they had won the day.

"Before the Collapse, I served with The Coldstream Guards-"

"-Last time you told this story, it was The Light Dragoons!"

"And the time before that it was the The Royal Lancers!"

"And before that it was the KOYLI!"

"Shut your mouths, I served with all those!"

"Bullshit, you did, I looked it up! The KOYLI was disbanded two centuries before you were even born!"

"Alright, so that one was a lie, but all the others were true!"

"Sure they were."

More laughter.

"Point is, we had a motto. And that motto was 'Cede Nullis' 'Yield to none'-"

"That was the KOYIL's motto!"

"Shut your mouth before I come over there and shut it for you! Anyway, if anyone yields before that gun goes down, I'll beat you across the Dreadnought myself! Understand!?"

"Yes!"

"'Yes' what?"

"Yes, Sir!"

Holborn laughed, before launching himself toward the nearest Ogre, his axe finding purchase in its face.

"Good! And whoever was last down? It's your lucky day, I'm paying when we get back!"


	4. Poll

Important poll about Forged is up.


End file.
